-------------------------------------------
CHOOSING THE CHOSEN AND WINNOWING THE WHEAT
-------------------------------------------

Shalom from Jerusalem,

There is a poison in the Land. There are
tares amongst the wheat. If the Saints are destined to judge the
world one day, shouldn't our task begin at home? Rav Sha'ul (Paul)
made the same argument to the congregation at Corinth. I think
its time we start to listen to him.

Reconciliation has become a frequently used
word in the vocabulary of the church recently. Leaders in dozens
of ministries the world over have all decided that they like the
sound of that word, and each has embarked upon different agendas
to "reconcile," turn around, mend or otherwise apologize
for what they feel are the causes of our woes in this world.

A closer look at many of these "reconciliation"
attempts will reveal however, that the centuries-old "Babylon
Tower Construction Co., Ltd" is still in business. They've
even acquired a new company, called "Ecumenism, International,"
and profits are very strong in the first quarter of the year 2000.

Yes, friends, Ecumenism is afoot in Christendom
today, no less in Jerusalem, and it has a been given a face lift
and a new name as part of its marketing strategy.

"Lets right the wrongs of history and
of the world," they say, "and we'll make G-d proud of
us. Then perhaps He will bring Jesus back, when He sees how nicely
we've been able to get along and how we have finally found a way
to mass produce unity."

Of course, ecumenism and doctrinal integrity
cannot co-exist in the same time and space. One must to give way
to the other. Sure enough, doctrinal integrity is sacrificed every
time by our new reconciliation salesmen. Nevertheless, sales remain
at an all-time high.

This is an unfortunate repercussion, but
a necessary evil which leads up the return of Yeshua. Its just
another step which brings to our attention the inevitability of
the "great falling away" that we were warned about in
the teachings of the Apostles, which would take place at the end
of days, before Yeshua's return.

Living in Israel, I want to bring to your
attention one such ecumenical movement which not only betrays
the word of G-d but which seeks to divide Jerusalem for its own
selfish political gain. The leaders of this ministry call themselves
"Believers," use the same language that any Believer
would normally use, but their real motives are self-evident, as
is their fate, if they do not soon turn and run, and get the hell
out of Babylon before its too late.

This recent movement of reconciliation is
between Arab and Jewish Believers, and it is called, "Musalaha,"
led by Salim Munayer, academic dean at the Bethlehem Bible College,
an Arab evangelical Bible school.

They raise millions of dollars each year
from Christians internationally with very clever promotional schemes.
And do you know what? It works. Christians who don't ask the right
questions, proud of their liberal world view, and who rarely open
their Bibles, are writing their checks daily in support of Musalaha's
teachings.

The rest of this position paper is dedicated
to presenting an overview and some detail of these teachings.
You should know who they are, what they teach, and why many in
Israel, including myself, cannot stand with them in order to contrive
some kind of artificial unity in the name of Jesus. I've chosen
several articles from different authors and compiled views from
a number of sources to express our collective outrage as these
weeds grow up and "choke the Word, making it unfruitful."

----------------
Who is Musalaha?
----------------

Musalaha is an Arabic word meaning reconciliation.
This ministry seeks to foster reconciliation between Jewish and
Arab believers through tours, camping trips, and conferences with
church leaders from both Arab and Jewish congregations.

-----------------------
How Much do they Spend?
-----------------------

Musalaha spends more than $100,000 per year
to reach its goal; it tries to raise most of its budget from foreign
mission groups working in or with Israel.

According to the Musalaha Budget Proposal
2000, their expected budget this year is $320,000. Given their
hope of raising at least two thirds of this from Christian sources,
one has to wonder, "Does anyone really benefit in terms of
Biblically-based spiritual growth which would promote and produce
a healthy witness for Yeshua in the Land of the Bible."

By the way, this figure includes Salim's
annual salary of $41,400. By comparison the average annual salary
in Israel is about $14,400, though statistics show that the average
family of four requires $22,200.

-------------------------------
What is their "Modus Operandi"?
-------------------------------

Musalaha's focus is trust, fellowship, and
mutual ministry among Jewish and Arab believers. Feelings of alienation
between formerly hostile ethnic groups are not easily resolved,
and pride in "Palestinian" and Israeli identities is
not easily surrendered. But the desire to transcend political
and ethnic origins and to encourage dialog on the what they
see as the "reality of Christian beliefs" provides their
motive and fuels their method of conveyance.

----------------------------
Their Position on Evangelism
----------------------------

"As far as the Musalaha believers are
concerned, dialog and agreement must precede evangelistic outreach."

This quote was taken directly from their
own published materials.

-----------------------------
Their Identity and Allegiance
-----------------------------

"Palestinian" believers in the
territories resist strongly the name 'Israeli'. This was apparent
when the "Palestinian" believers of Jerusalem and the
territories wanted to carry the "Palestinian" flag as
symbolic of their separate identity at a 1995 meeting on world
evangelism.

[Note: I have placed the term "Palestinian"
inside of quotes. Reasons for doing so will become apparent after
you read through the interview presented further on with Attorney
Marvin Kramer from Haifa.]

While reading through the Musalaha Budget
Proposal 2000, I made a few observations...

1. There were at least 25 occurrences of
the term "Palestinian." However, whenever the term was
used in the context of describing people-groups of Believers in
Yeshua within Israel, NEVER is a reference made to "Israeli"
Believers. They are always "Jewish" Believers. But whenever
the counterpart of "Arab" Believers are discussed, they
are always referred to as "Palestinian Christians" or
"Palestinian Believers."

This leaves the distinct impression in the
mind of the reader that as far as Musalaha is concerned, if you
are a local Believer in Yeshua, it is fine to be "Jewish"
but not acceptable to be "Israeli." for this would conflict
with "Palestinian" as an acceptable term which defines
an "Arab" geographical heritage which is distinctly
NOT Jewish. In other words, it's OK to be Jewish, so long as you
DO NOT in any way connect your Jewishness with the land properly
termed [in their view] "Palestine."

2. In an introductory letter, followed by
the "Visions and Goals" section of their proposal, here
is what Salim Munayer says...

"...as we follow G-d's calling
to be reconciled one to another, Reconciliation has become a central issue
within the Body of Christ here in the Land." "We hope to emulate and
teach Christ's model of forgiveness, mercy and love, breaking down the walls
of enmity that so easily embitter and ensnare." "She is a ministry that
seeks to PROMOTE Reconciliation...the central theme being that Christ's atonement on the
cross are the only hope ..."

Sounds good, right? "We are all about
"Reconciliation!" Ok, let's see how they are going to
accomplish this.

"Musalaha has placed an emphasis
on the THEOLOGY OF THE LAND, through conferences and seminars with local and
international speakers."

In other words, the primary engine which
is going to deliver enough horse power to take Musalaha and its
constituency into the bliss of Reconciliation, is their "THEOLOGY
OF THE LAND" teaching. Shortly, we are going to take a good
look at just where this theology is headed. But it certainly doesn't
take a rocket scientist to figure out at this juncture, how counter-productive
"reconciliation" attempts are going to be, if the first
thing you emphasize is, "The Land, and why is DOES NOT BELONG
to the Jews." Given the region in which we live, wouldn't
common knowledge dictate which tools ignite which gasoline spills,
and which ones extinguish the infernos?

3. Nevertheless, here is the model Musalaha
has chosen:

A. Confess -- State the truth. Acknowledge
the unjust or hurtful actions of myself of my people-group toward other people
or categories of people

B. Repent -- turn from unloving actions
to loving actions.

C. Reconcile -- Receive forgiveness and pursue intimate fellowship

D. Restitution -- Attempt to restore that which has been damaged, wherever
we have power to act or influence those in authority to act.

As we read on, the goal here becomes obvious.
A. Confess that the State of Israel is unjustified on the world
scene. B. Repent of holding onto "Zionist" ideals. C.
Reconcile with the "Palestinian" Christian and have
intimate fellowship with him on their terms, and D. Do what you
can to influence Governments to divide the Land and give it back
to the "Palestinians."

Is this diabolical or what?

4. One of the the big social activities
that Musalaha sponsors are "Desert Tours." I've even
been on one, a few years ago. Here is their sales pitch...

"Leave behind the distractions
of social and political pressures on their desert tours. This will eventually
change cultural misconceptions and stereotypes."

In other words, lets separate ourselves
from day to day realities, so we can put the Bible on the shelf,
(or in the toilet in some cases), and learn to adopt the "Palestinian"
national charter instead, but only after we are no longer distracted
by the social stigma and political enigma of the Jewish State.

5. Finally, the incongruency of it all is
stated in their affirmation...

"We know that it is His protection
and strength that keeps and sustains us, and BY HIS WORD ALONE THAT ALL
THINGS ARE HELD TOGETHER."

How then, BY HIS WORD, is Israel dissected
and dismantled in their view? Lets find out.

Here are some selected quotes from a publication
entitled "NEW CREATION BOOK FOR MUSLIMS" by Phil Goble
and Salim Munayer...

"We who are new creation Muslims
have already tasted
of the world to come."

Muslims by definition are followers of Islam.

"This present world has not experienced
the new
creation through the Word of Allah, who is Isa."

The "Allah" presented in the Koran,
and who is portrayed in Islam must not be confused with the Holy
One of Israel, the G-d of Avraham, Yizchak and Ya'acov.

"THE ADHAAN (78) The Muaadhdhin
(Caller to prayer) in our messianic mosque services stands to make the
announcement to pray and in so doing recites to the
congregation our Al-'Aqeedah (creed): Allaahu Akbar,
Allaahu Akbar God is greater, God is greater."

The very same credo and inciting prayers
chanted by millions of Muslims as they call for Jihad "Holy
War" against the Jews, and especially the cry which goes
forth and precedes every terror attack in Israel.

"The Jew who hates the Muslim
hates the G-d of their common father Ibrahim for the Muslim and the Jew are
brothers. But what does the Scripture say? "Whoever
hateth his brother is a murderer: and you know that
no murderer has eternal life abiding in him!" (I John 3:15)"

It seems to me that Yeshua defined who his
brothers were, when he said, "For whoever does the will of
my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
(Matthew 12:50). Are the Muslim's really my brothers, in the context
that John is speaking about?

------------------------------------------------------------
Where the Rubber Meets the Road, or "FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS"
------------------------------------------------------------

In September of 1997, Musalaha hosted a
Theological Seminar in Jerusalem which brought together "Palestinian"
and Messianic [Note: NOT ISRAELI Messianic] Leaders. I have selected
specific quotes from the published materials which Musalaha released,
which I feel speak for themselves. Get ready for some shock therapy...

The political question is this. How
should we as Christians view the situation in Israel/Palestine
today, where two peoples claim the same territory?

Specifically, do we believe the Israeli authorities
should continue to resist Palestinian aspirations to
autonomy and statehood? Should they continue to
occupy, settle and annex more and more of East
Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, creating small
urban Bantustan reservations for Palestinians living
under military occupation within a exclusive Jewish
state.

I oppose anti-Semitism (remembering also that the Arabs are a Semitic race).

1. The Relationship of the Old Covenant
to the New Covenant
-----------------------------------------------------------

Revelation from God is understood in
terms of New
Covenant reality not in terms of Old Covenant shadow.

The same principle applies to the promises concerning
the Land which are also anticipating God's future
purposes, not only for one small people the Jews, but
the whole world, revealed fully and finally in Jesus Christ.

2. The Meaning of the Abrahamic Covenant
----------------------------------------

The land of the Bible is not and never
ever did flow with milk and honey. It is a beautiful land which
points to a restored paradise in the future.

The tabernacle, was never intended to have a settled
location in God's plan of redemption. It will
ultimately be experienced in paradise.

The Land never belongs to Israel in the Torah. The Land is never at the disposal of Israel for its
national purposes.

Don't be misled by the statement God
made to Abraham that the land would be "an everlasting possession."

To insist on an interpretation that now gives people
of Jewish origin an exclusive title deed to Palestine
in perpetuity runs contrary both to the promise
itself within its Old Covenant context as well as its
New Covenant fulfillment in and through Christ.

3. The Promise of Exile and Return
----------------------------------

The possession of the land was never
perfected. Dominion over the land remains a struggle and
tantalizing possibility which never comes to full realization.

It is the Jerusalem above not the Jerusalem below that is the mother of us all.

Never again would the revelation from God suggest
that his people should aspire to the paradigms of the
Old Covenant. Retrogression to the older shadowy
forms of the Old Covenant were forbidden. To suggest
therefore that the Shekinah is to return to a single
local geographical shrine to which we must come to
worship is to regress from the reality to the
shadowy, to apostatize from the New to the Old
Covenant. It impugns the atoning work of Christ.

4. The Ethical Requirements of the
Covenant Relationship
--------------------------------------------------------

The promise of land was never an unconditional
right, but always a conditional gift.

On the basis of such a passage, (Leviticus 18:24-28)
the present brutal, repressive and racist policies of
the State of Israel would suggest another exile on
the horizon rather than a restoration.

The assertion that the events subsequent to the
founding of the State of Israel in 1948 indicate
God's blessing on the Jewish people is totally
without foundation in Scripture.

Indeed, since the Temple was destroyed
in 70 AD and
the Jews exiled from the land, as Jesus taught, as a
judgment for their failure to recognize Him as the
Messiah (Luke 19:41-44). Never therefore can the
promise of the land be claimed by those who fail to
exercise true faith and faithfulness in the Redeemer
provided by the Lord in the Covenant.

5. The Land in the Teaching of Jesus
------------------------------------

Teaching about the Land is conspicuous
by its absence
in the teaching of Jesus. Since the Land was such a
fundamental part of Judaism at the time of Christ,
his silence can only have been deliberate.

Jesus of Nazareth died accursed on a cross and so
polluted the land. By that act He shattered the
geographic dimension of the religion of his fathers.
By his cross and resurrection, He broke the bonds of
the land.

Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem. He did
not promise there would be another return to the Land.

6. The Land in the Teaching of the
Apostles
-------------------------------------------

The nature of the kingdom of God now
re-defines the
meaning of chosenness. The extension of the kingdom
of God throughout the world necessitates their exile
from the land and indeed the turning of their backs
on Jerusalem for ever. They are sent out into the
world but never told to return.

"Access to the "Jerusalem above" had nothing
to do
with the Jerusalem below... Christian identity...was
not bound up with the physical Jerusalem... The
Christian gospel did not offer a new validation for
Jerusalem; on the contrary, the Christian Church
needed to be set free from the 'slavery' that was
inherent in the 'present Jerusalem'.

The present Jerusalem continue to be in slavery,
without God and without hope in the world.

Jerusalem has lost whatever theological status it
previously possessed. The way the Old Testament
ascribes to Jerusalem a special, central and sacred
status within the on-going purposes of God is not
reaffirmed by the New Testament writers.

There is no suggestion that after Pentecost, the
Apostles believed that the Jewish people still have a
divine right to the Land, or that the Jewish
possession of the Land would be an important let
alone central aspect of God's plan for the world.

In the Christological logic of Paul, the Land, like
the Law, both particular and provisional had now
become quite irrelevant.

7. The Future of the Jewish People
----------------------------------

There is no suggestion that the future
salvation of
the Jews is related in any way to the Land.

Abraham's descendants would inherit
not the Land but
the world or cosmos. For Paul the children of Abraham
are those Jews and Gentiles who through faith in
Christ have been made righteous.

Conclusions
-----------

Politically, Israel will only be able
to maintain its
hold over the Occupied Territories with continued
massive funding from America and by superior military
might. She will never enjoy peace with her neighbors
until she acts with justice and reciprocity toward
the Palestinians.

Israel is a materialistic society,
an apartheid state
practicing repressive and dehumanizing measures
against the Palestinians in flagrant disregard of the
United Nations and UN declaration of human rights.

Like Isaac's children Jacob and Esau, it is time to
stop fighting over the birthright and start sharing
the blessings.

---------------------------------------------------------------
WE NEED A NEW GARDENER. THESE WEEDS ARE GETTING OUT OF CONTROL!
---------------------------------------------------------------

Hillary Clinton remarked not long ago, "I
think it will be in the long-term interests of the Middle East
for Palestine to be a state."

I wonder if Musalaha has received US Federal
Funding? It wouldn't surprise me.

Lambert Dolphin, a retired physicist and
Bible Student for over 40 years, has made more than two dozen
trips to the Middle East. He has a keen interest in ancient history
as well as current events in and around Israel. Here are some
of his remarks after reading up on Musalaha's "THEOLOGY OF
THE LAND."

There has never been at any time in
history a country
the Middle east called Palestine.

Even before the Arab conquest of the Middle East and
to this day, no ruler ever allowed "Palestine"
to be
an independent country.

The "Palestinians" constantly and loudly proclaim
their goal to seize Jerusalem and all the Land
westward to the Mediterranean Sea.

No one has a right to parcel out and give away land
whose title resides permanently with Israel.

Persistent disobedience would cause the Jews to
forfeit TEMPORARILY the right to live in THEIR land.
there is nothing in the Bible to suggest they will be
removed again for disobedience.

The Jews were to be fair in treating strangers and
foreigners who were GUESTS in their land. One does
not give title deeds of one's house to a guest!
The ONLY physical nation on earth which has the right
to claim a covenant with G-d is Israel.

Idolatrous nations have no "rights". G-d can not
give
the Land of Israel to a foreign people because He can
not lie and can not change what he has promised. The
Jewish People are the insurance policy to the rest of
the nations.

"for G-d's gifts and His call
are irrevocable."
(Romans 11:29).

I wonder what concrete plan Salim would
propose to
change the status quo in Israel? He does not advocate
careful evangelism to convert Arabs and Jews so they
are reconciled to G-d. He shows no compassion for
reconciling the various peoples who live there. He
makes no reference to a living G-d who moves and acts
in history. In his view, it is all up to us.

How is it that Musalaha and Co. rewrite
the Word of G-d and invent their own interpretations of that which
is unchangeable and immutable. And if they do, what does that
tell me about them? How do they play with my Bible to come up
with a message, so thoroughly out of sync with the whole counsel
of G-d?

------------------------------------
MAKING AN ARGUMENT or STARTING A WAR
------------------------------------

Tsvi Sadan, Editor and Publisher of the
Hebrew Messianic Monthly "Kivun" decided to run a story
about Salim when a unique opportunity was afforded recently during
a public lecture/debate in which Munayer faced off with a Messianic
Jew. No guess work here. The lecture was recorded, and 30+ students
heard first hand what Musalaha's agenda is. Here is Tsvi's report...

(Pre-Publication English Translation ONLY,
used by permission, from original Hebrew. Article is due to be
published in Kivun's mid-February, 2000 Issue)

-----------------------------------------------------------
Can Two Take Counsel One With The Other?
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Body of the Messiah
by Tsvi Sadan
-----------------------------------------------------------

Could it be that the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict exists also in Congregations which have etched upon their
banner the merits of love that was preached to them by Yeshua?

Despite the fact that Messianic Jews try
not to mix religion with politics, the controversy between Israelis
and Palestinians on the subject of the borders of the Land touch
directly upon the words of the Prophets, when it comes to Israel
settling in its own Land. The problem which presents itself before
those who take seriously these prophecies, is that the Land of
the people of Israel is also the same place where Arabs make their
home.

In our modern world the notion held is that
the rights of the Jews for the Land are equal to the Palestinian's
right to it. Yet contrary to an environment, which too often shapes
our world-views in opposition to the Scriptures, Yeshua's disciples
must submit even their political aspirations to the Word of G-d.
But is this really the way which Believers, both Jews and Arabs,
are relating, or can it be that theology has given way before
politics?

Today, a chasm exists between the interpretation
Palestinians give to the Bible and that which is offered by Jews.
A testimony to this schism was presented at a discussion/debate
that took place last December at "Israel College of the Bible,"
within the framework of a "Christian-Jewish Relations"
course moderated by Menachem Ben-Haim. Amidst the discussion,
the following dialog was heard:

Arab Participant: "Within the
context of your position
as a soldier do you carry a weapon?"

Jewish Participant: "Yes!"

Arab Participant: "And if it will be required of you,
would you use it against Palestinians?"

Jewish Participant: "I follow orders, and if a situation
arises which will require this, I will use my weapon against Palestinians."

Arab Participant: "What you are saying reminds me
of
what the Germans said some 50 years
ago."

This dialog took place between Aviel Schneider
and Salim Munayer. Thus, what was supposed to be a cordial discussion
between brothers in the faith, turned into a heated discussion
saturated with intense passionate emotions which brought Munayer
to compare between Schneider's response and the excuse which Nazis
gave to justify their crimes.

Aviel Schneider, editor of the German language
magazine "News From Israel," was a soldier in the elite
"Givati" Unit when the Intifada broke out. "News
from Israel" is considered a moderate-right wing publication,
and enjoys a fairly wide circulation in Europe.

Salim Munayer, an Arab-Christian, was born
in Lod, and teaches today at the Bethlehem Bible College. Ten
years ago, Munayer founded the organization "Musalaha,"
whose purpose is to bridge relations between Jews and Arabs. Salim
stands to complete his doctorate shortly for which he studied
in England.

So then, to whom belongs the rights to the
Land?

Schneider opinion was unequivocal: The Land
belongs to the Jewish people, and the reality of them dwelling
in it today is a fulfillment of prophetic vision. The root of
the conflict between Jews and Palestinians is centered exactly
on this point. The Arabs who live here are not prepared to come
to terms with the fact that the Land was given to the Jewish people
by Divine command. To demonstrate this connection between the
Jewish people and the Land of Israel, Schneider quoted Rabbi Lau,
the Chief Rabbi of Israel, who compared the Land of Israel to
a Flat, God to a Landlord, and the people of Israel to tenants.
The Flat, i.e. the Land, belongs to God, who leases it to Israel
perpetually.

In Munayer's view, this comparison allowed
him to hold on to the exact opposite position. If the renting
Flat-dweller example is true, isn't it equally true that when
the tenant becomes disorderly under the terms of the contract,
it becomes the right of the owner to terminate the rental contract?
G-d's covenant with the people of Israel is conditional. Behave
properly, and they will receive. Don't behave properly, and don't
receive. The Land, according to Munayer does not belong to the
Jews or to the Arabs, but to G-d. The people of Israel are entitled
to the Land only if they are faithful to the covenant. Therefore,
since the State of Israel has broken the covenant, in that she
has acted unrighteously towards the Palestinians, it must be true
that the Land no longer belongs to her.

In other words, while Schneider would lean
upon the promises of G-d to Israel, Munayer chooses to lean upon
their ability to keep the covenant. For Schneider, the promises
are not conditional. For Munayer, the promises cannot be separated
from the covenant which G-d made with Israel.

This lines up with the whole agenda which
Munayer followed, according to Richard Margalit, a student who
was present at the lecture. "Muyayer did not have a single
good thing to say about the Israelis."

For example, Munayer implied that unrighteousness
expresses itself not only in "conquering" Arab territory
(which Schneider insisted should have properly been termed "liberated"),
but it also exists in the way Israel has chosen to write its history.

"The history that they taught us in
school," according to Munayer, "were only myths."
The Israeli position which has already won the nickname "Revised
History" claims for instance that "the Land was empty
from inhabitants before the arrival of the huge waves of the new
immigrants at the end of the 19th century," whereas in Munayer's
view, it was already densely inhabited (by Arabs). The relatively
small number Arabs in Israel came about, according to Munayer,
as a result of "ethnic cleansing" which was carried
out during Israel's War of Independence. The Bridge to better
understanding between Jewish Believers and Arabs can be found
according to Munayer, in the lessons about priorities. It is incumbent
upon the Believers to prioritize peace over Land. They must serve
G-d in spirit and in truth" instead of searching for Him
on Mount Zion.

Schneider, on the other hand, claims that
the approach which assumes that the faithfulness of G-d to His
people is conditional ONLY upon their doing justice, does not
line up with the Biblical story. Indeed, one cannot disclaim that
Israel has acted from time to time unjustly, and for this is paying
a heavy price. "But," Schneider remarks, "Israel
does not have a monopoly on acting unjustly. In addition, any
disadvantages of Israel's unethical behavior would not include
the nullification of G-d's promises. He remains faithful to Israel
even when they do not remain faithful to Him." Schneider
concluded his remarks on pessimistic note, "Today, despite
the fact that we are brothers of the same faith, Messianic Jews
and their Palestinian brothers do not get along one with the other.
I belong to the Jewish people, and the Palestinian to his."

The discussion of Munayer and Schneider
exposed the flaws which exist in the artificial unity which many
try to present. In opposition to Schneider's view, who claims
that the Land belongs to Israel, including the territories which
were taken back during the six-day war, Munayer presents a Christian
/ Palestinian / National stance, which claims that Jewish injustice
has caused their rights to the Land to be rescinded.

It would appear that despite the honest
efforts which have been made over the past few years, it has become
apparent that a cup of coffee in the desert [on one of Musalaha's
sponsored desert tours] is not enough to bridge the significant
gaps of opinions which exist today between Jews and Arabs. Is
the Body of Messiah also destined to be confined within this cycle
of hostility between two peoples, or is there another way?

From ancient times, the Land provided continuous
excuses for border disputes. It wasn't for nothing that Rashi,
who never actually lived in the Land, nor did he even visit it
in his days, wrote, "For what reason does Genesis open with
the story of creation, rather than with commandments? Because
"He has shown His people the power of His works, giving them
the heritage of other nations." (Psalms 111:6). For if foreign
nations will say to Israel, "You have pirated the Land when
you conquered it from the seven nations," say to them, "All
the earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He. He created it
and given it in accordance with His good pleasure. It was His
will to give to them, and His will to take from them, and give
to us."

---------------------------------------------------------
"Palestinian" Misnomer? or "SOMETHING IS VERY FISHY
HERE!
---------------------------------------------------------

"I solemnly charge you in
the presence of G-d and of
Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead,
and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word;
be
ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the
time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but
wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate
for themselves teachers in accordance to their own
desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth,
and will turn aside to myths ." (2 Tim. 4:1-4)

How true the above statement is today, particularly
as it relates to the situation dealing with the issue of so-called
"Palestinians". The acceptance and use of that term
and the recognition of any right to establish a "Palestinian
Homeland" within the borders of Israel, is to reject the
plain and straight-forward teachings of the Word of G-d regarding
Israel and the plan of G-d for Israel today.

Marvin Kramer, an Attorney in Haifa, writing
about spiritual deception and the error of replacement theology,
gave us these important comments...

"To our great regret, many believers
today have
fallen prey to the deceiving whispers of the enemy of
our souls and have bought into the lie that G-d is
finished with Israel and that the Abrahamic Covenant
was never intended to be established through Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob and the children of Israel, namely,
the Jewish people. Instead, they have allowed
themselves to be swayed by political and social
issues, which have been spawned by the Devil to
de-hydrate the water of the Word and detract many
brethren from the spiritual dynamics and realities of
G-d's promises to Israel. In short, they have allowed
themselves to be confused into accepting replacement
theology, due to a concern over political and social
issues and "ethical" considerations relating to
the
Abrahamic Covenant.

The Word of G-d never referred to a
people known as
Palestinians and any attempt to identify the
Philistines of the Old Testament with the modern day
Palestinian Myth necessitates dissecting the Biblical
map of Israel and moving pieces around in order to
make them fit in accordance to their own desires."

Though few in number, there do exist Arab
Believers in Israel who accept this premise. On such Arab Israeli
Believer who asked not to be identified because of fear of political
repercussions shared, "I do not think that the Jews should
give up this Land because there would no longer be a Jewish State.
If we look at the Bible, G-d gave the Promised Land to the Jews,
not to the Arabs. I have done much research and I still have no
evidence that the Philistines in the Bible are the so-called "Palestinian"
Arab Israelis of today, like myself. Even it we were, it doesn't
matter because G-d said to Joshua and Caleb that the Jews should
go in and possess the Land. My people are much better off here
in Israel under an Israeli government than our "Palestinian"
brothers are under Yassir Arafat's regime."

Kramer continues...

"Those who would spiritualize
and negate the validity
of the Abrahamic Covenant and its relationship to the
Jewish people, try to deny G-d His absolute right to
sovereignly "choose" a people for His own purposes,
whether for good or bad. G-d chose the Jewish people,
not because they were great or wonderful or even
doers of justice. Indeed, they were small and
insignificant. But, more significantly, G-d loved
them and was faithful to keep the promise He made to
their forefathers and brought them out with a mighty
hand and redeemed them from the house of slavery in
the land of Egypt (Deut. 7-8). Were the so-called
Palestinians promised that they would be brought out
from slavery in Egypt?

The arm-chair replacement "theologians"
try to
justify the negation of the Abrahamic Covenant as
being applicable to the Jewish people, by pointing
out that G-d's promise was made to Abraham, while he
was still childless. They overlook the fact that the
greatness of Abraham's faith lay in the fact that
although he was childless, he whole-heartedly
received and believed G-d's promise that his
descendants would become a people and inherit a land
- a physical land with physical borders that were
stated. This fact of childlessness is then turned
around with the argument that the promise was
intended to be for the spiritual descendants of
Abraham, not the physical. In so arguing, they ignore
that G-d constantly made a distinction between
Ishmael and Isaac and between Esau and Jacob and
continues to exercise His sovereign right to do so as
the sovereign G-d of the universe."

"For I could wish that I
myself were accursed, separately
from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom
belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the
covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple
service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and
from
whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over
all, G-d blessed forever. Amen." (Rom 9:1-5)

What "covenants" and what "promises"
is Paul referring to? Those given to Palestinians? Clearly not.
Rather to his "kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites",
namely, the Jewish people.

Kramer summarized his arguments by stating...

"Israel today is a country that
is far from being
perfect and anyone who expects that we be otherwise
is simply not being realistic. Secular Israel does
not have G-d's justice, truth and righteousness as
its standards for living. It always wanted to be like
its worldly neighbors and has achieved that dubious
distinction. In the process, social justice is often
lacking. Rights for minorities, while theoretically
in existence, are frequently not enforced. There are
"second-class citizens" here, just as in almost
every
other country on this decaying planet. Saying these
things is not intended to justify them, but to point
out their existence as part and parcel of the
condition that the world is in today.

In order to validate a "Palestinian" claim to
anything, the Word of G-d must be spiritualized,
watered-down and ignored. When the Children of Israel
were about to enter into Canaan, G-d commanded them
to destroy all of the inhabitants of that land. We
who reside in Israel today, like our ancestors before
us, reap the results of their partial obedience to
G-d's commands. If He were to repeat His commands to
us today, would the brethren line up and protest
because G-d's purposes and plans are not in keeping
with our overly liberalized sense of justice and
fairness? Would we say today, as some do, that we
have problems with the "ethical considerations"
of
the Abrahamic Covenant and attempt to do away with
it? Would we be ready to interpose our limited,
prejudicial and self-centered understanding upon
G-d's Word and permit our blurred vision to cloud His
clearly expressed purposes? How we answer those
questions and others like them should determine for
us how we deal with the question of whether we are
willing to accept the establishment of a so-called
"Palestinian State" in the midst of the land owned
by
G-d and whether the same was intended to be given as
a possession, in trust, to the Jewish people.

He who is the deceiver of the whole world and the
accuser of our brethren (Rev 12:9-10) is also the
father of lies (John 8:44), whose pride and jealousy
caused him to seek to be like the Most High (Isa
14:14).

G-d raised up Israel in the midst of its enemies.
Now, the deceiving spirits attempt to manipulate
worldly thinking and even the minds of some brethren
to bring about the goal of raising up of an enemy
state in the midst of Israel. The Devil is so totally
unimaginative and we, for our part, "are not ignorant
of his schemes" (2 Cor 2:11). He who has an ear, will
he hear, or will he turn away his ears from the truth
and turn aside instead to myths?"

---------------------
FRUIT or FRUIT-CAKES?
---------------------

WE have to ask the question that is begging
to be asked...

Can we really call these people our brothers?
Certain evidence with regard to the manner in which they read
their Bible would weigh heavily against this notion and mitigate
against an argument that people like this belong to the same community
of faith, the same camp in which the G-d of Israel, the Torah
and the teachings of the Apostles are viewed with some minimal
measure of continuity.

Deception could also figure in as a major
factor. With big-gun names backing, supporting and sitting as
advisers on Musalaha's board, names like Luis Bush of AD 2000,
Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Susan Perlman from Jews for Jesus, and Dr.
Peter C. Wagner, one wonders how much discernment these brothers
and sisters have in subscribing to the Musalaha party line. This
is not to mention a healthy following amongst several well know
leaders of otherwise reputable Messianic Congregations in Israel,
whose names I shall not mention, for the time being.

One thing we do know for certain as we approach
the day of the L-RD's return. The sure-fire mark of a true Believer,
according to the book of Revelations are "those who obey
G-d's commandments and hold to the testimony of Yeshua."
(Revelation 12:17).

With the plethora of false prophets roaming
our congregations today, no less, and in many case more in Jerusalem,
what kind of warnings are we given about them, and how shall we
recognize them, judge them, and keep their teachings away from
us and from our children?

I believe that Yeshua gave us the answer,
when he said...

"Watch out for false prophets.
They come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious
wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do
people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit,
but a bad tree bears bad fruit." (Matthew 7:15-17).

As we pointed out earlier, amongst the teachings
of Salim and Musalaha, this statement was made:

"In the Christological logic of
Paul, the Land, like
the Law, both particular and provisional had now
become quite irrelevant."

To a statement so harmful, noxious, prejudicial,
unwholesome, and just plain dangerous, I can do no better than
to quote these teachings from the Shlichim (Apostles)...

Therefore, dear friends, since you
already know this,
be on your guard so that you may not be carried away
by the error of LAWLESS men and fall from your secure
position. (2 Peter 3:17).

Even though the man of LAWLESSNESS
has not yet been
revealed, Paul reminds us that "the secret power of
LAWLESSNESS is already at work."

Can both fresh water and salt water
flow from the
same spring? (James 3:11).

Ya'acov's implication is "No!"
in this passage.

Now then, if the Torah and its non-negotiable
position with regard to:

A. Whom the Land has been given in order
to settle in it,

B. The chosenness of the the Jewish people,
and

C. The eternal light found it in precepts,
judgments, decrees, statutes, and commandments

...are now "quite irrelevant,"
what does that tell me about Musalaha's fruit? If they are without
the Torah, they are "Torahless." If those involved in
this ministry are found without the Law, they are "LAWLESS."

How then can those who adhere to the teachings
of Musalaha be considered part of the community of faith, when
the Torah itself says that if the aliens living among the Jewish
people fail to keep His decrees and His laws, the Land "will
vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you...such
persons must be cut off from their people." (Leviticus 18:26-29).

Those who find themselves within the leadership
of Musalaha, should re-think their "THEOLOGY OF THE LAND,"
their THEOLOGY OF THE TORAH and their THEOLOGY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE,
lest they find themselves outside of the community of faith, by
reason of disassociation with its source of life and power.

-----------------------------------------
THE MEANING OF CHOSEN or "BACK TO BASICS"
-----------------------------------------

To most of the nations of the world, one
of the most disturbing and arrogant claims ever made by any group
of people is the one we Jews make when, quoting the Bible, we
insist of being the "Chosen People."

For nearly four thousand years, Jews have
upheld the belief that they are G-d's elect, the "apple of
His eye," His most beloved and favored nation. This claim
when improperly understood, sounds like prejudice of the highest
order, making the vast majority of mankind into second class citizens,
a fate which has driven some Christians to seek alternate theologies
inconsistent with the biblical model.

And yet, gleaning from biblical references,
we find that the Jewish people were mandated from the beginning
to be a distinct, peculiar people. Jews were not to marry non-Jews
according to the Torah. Kosher food laws limited social interaction.
We were to dress differently, speak our own language, and abide
by our own unique customs, prayers and culture.

The Torah wants to secure the Jewish people's
uniqueness and chosen status. But it also wants to uphold the
equality of all men, and their dignity.

Does historical reality confirm the unique
status of the Jewish people?

The answer is clear: Yes. The cold historical
facts prove that the Jewish people stand out in three ways:

1. They experienced a most miraculous survival.
-----------------------------------------------

Throughout history Jews were surrounded
by their enemies who were committed to destroy them. They waged
war after war to survive. They were sent into exile, beaten, tortured,
sometimes killed or expelled from one country to another, only
to find another disaster awaiting them. They became the scapegoat
for national and social hysteria. Still, they survived. Discriminated
against, consistently outlawed, the oldest nation on the planet,
the Jews were constantly dying... yet never died. Outlasting all
their enemies, they violated all the indispensable rules of history
and for this reason they became either the most irritating or
the most celebrated people of the world.

2. They have made incredible contributions
to civilization, totally
out of proportion with their numbers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Jews introduced ethical monotheism to the
world, along with the concept of the Messiah. Since that day,
the universe has never been the same. Their gift of the Bible
turned all deeds into moral actions, teaching ethics and justice.
Neither Christianity nor Islam would exist without the Jews. Based
on "the Book," no international or American law would
be what it is today without them. In later centuries Jews contributed
to science, literature, music, finance, medicine and art -- all
beyond anyone's expectations of this small, tortured and seemingly
insignificant people. They were involved in many social revolutions,
often becoming the leaders and thinkers of their day. They have
produced great Rabbis and Sages, and even those who were on the
road to assimilation revolutionized the world. Spinoza, Freud,
Marx and Einstein only name a few.

3. They made an unprecedented return to
their homeland after nearly
two thousand years of exile.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

In 1948 Jews managed to free themselves
of their nearly two-thousand year old exile to return to the Land
of their forefathers. Just moments after they had experienced
their worst destruction, the Holocaust, in which they lost 6,000,000
of their fellow Jews, they picked up their bags and "went
home." At a time when the whole world declared that there
was no longer a future for the Jew, the State of Israel appeared
-- as if from nowhere. The Jewish return to their homeland is
unique. No nation, after such a long, painful exile, has successfully
returned to its homeland and, despite violating all principles
of conformity, built a modern state.

So Jews indeed are "a nation apart."
Their uniqueness is beyond question. But how does this relate
to their chosenness?

The generation of the Tower of Bavel (Babylon)
represented a low point in human history. Mankind sought to build
a tower high enough to reach the heavens and challenge G-d. For
the first time, a whole generation stood up and rebelled against
G-d as a matter of principle. The ideology of this generation
was one in which G-d was deliberately ignored and in which evil
was admired. This new belief system saw nothing wrong with immorality
-- it elevated it instead, to the new world order.

Something was needed to challenge this new
world order. It was for this reason that the "Chosen People"
came into existence. For to them was given the specific task to
save and uphold the honor of mankind, and present to the world
a beacon of light towards which the nations could find their way
back to their Creator. In their chosenness, not only did their
survival become the insurance policy of the world that the Almighty
existed and made promises to one day rule all the earth through
the Messiah, but they became the guilty conscience of the world.
As long the world had no G-d, the Jews gave it no peace, no slumber,
and no escape from reminding them of their fully discontented
and restless reality. Only the Jews were able to offer the world
an ideology of ultimate value.

Israel, therefore, is a world-transforming
nation. Its task, even today in her many sins, is to bring mankind
back to its full moral and religious potential defined by our
relationship to G-d. In that sense, Jews live in constant spiritual
tension. They dream about a chosen mankind which has re-discovered
its way to G-d and righteousness. In this lies a paradox: They
struggle to survive with only the hope that one day they will
be able to disappear.

---------------------
The Invention of Hope
---------------------

Rav Sha'ul (the Apostle Paul) once implied
that after all the actions and thinking of men has been sifted
through and reduced down to their basic elements, three things
remain, faith, hope and love.

He concluded that Love was the greatest.
But if you look under the hood of Hope, you will find a remarkable
spiritual engine whose major component is faith or trust in the
ONE G-d. By claiming a belief in one G-d, who is a single, Almighty
and a totally ethical entity, who nonetheless responds to insignificant
people like you and me, the Torah challenges paganism in a war
to the death to mold the minds of the civilized world.

The Greeks believed that whatever happened
to a person is entirely the result of random forces. Coincidence
rules. Victims of disaster are simply "accidents" not
subjects of history. Life is a collection of random events, for
which a great deal of "good luck" is required to get
through it, in one piece.

This is the reason why whole pagan societies
like Mesopotamia historically were saturated with depression and
anxiety. If you were a Mesopotamian, how could you make sense
of your life? Hopelessness characterized your existence. Every
illustrious culture brought the world a host of aesthetics, logic
and philosophy, but they robbed humanity of the basic element
of living that sustains people every day of their lives.

The Jewish idea of ONE G-d, however was
a shaft of light that shone through the thick clouds of pagan
culture and radiated the hope that the world can actually be good,
despite rampant suffering. There is a purpose and an aim to humanity,
which is more than random fate without divine destiny upon the
turbulent ocean of history. The Belief in ONE G-d and His Messiah
ultimately gave us Hope and sustained us. And it was the Jew,
who first published these concepts in Hebrew.

In an effort to define what a Jew is, Leo
Tolstoy once wrote...

Let us see what kind of peculiar creature
the Jew is,
which all the rulers and all the nations have
together and separately abused and molested,
oppressed and persecuted, trampled and butchered,
burned and hanged, and in spite of all this is yet
alive.

What is a Jew? Who has never allowed himself to be
led astray by all the earthly possessions which his
oppressors and persecutors has constantly offered him
in order that he should change his faith and forsake
his own Jewish religion.

The Jew, that sacred being who has brought down from
heaven the everlasting fire and has illuminated with
it the entire world. He is the religious source,
spring and fountain out of which all the rest of the
peoples have drawn their beliefs and religions...

The Jew is the emblem of eternity. He who neither
slaughter nor torture of thousands of years could
destroy. He who neither fire nor sword nor
inquisition was able to wipe off the face of the
earth. He who was first to produce the oracles of
G-d. He who has for so long been the guardian of
prophesy, and who transmitted it to the rest of the
world. Such a nation cannot be destroyed. The Jew is
as everlasting as eternity itself.

Why then, do the nations seek to destroy
us, either physically, allegorically, or spiritually, desperately
trying to define their world and a Bible which they received from
us, quite apart from the roots of their faith and separated from
the original revelation about the G-d of Israel, which we, as
a people received at Sinai? The Torah teaches us that "If
your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you
love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let
us go and worship other gods" (gods that neither you nor
your fathers have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether
near or far, from one end of the Land to the other), do not yield
to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or
shield him. (Deuteronomy 13:6-8).

See how YOUR enemies are astir, how
YOUR foes rear
their heads. With cunning they conspire against YOUR
people; they plot against those you cherish. "Come,"
they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the
name of Israel be remembered no more." With one mind
they plot together; they form an alliance against you
-- the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelim, of Moav and
the Hagrim, Geval, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with
the people of Tzur. Even Assur has joined them to
lend strength to the descendants of Lot. ..."Let us
take possession of the pasture-lands of G-d." ...May
they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in
disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the
L-RD -- that YOU alone are the Most High over all the
earth. (Psalms 83).

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